New York, NY (BBN)- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will head later this week to London, where he will take part in the torch run for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games on Thursday and attend the opening ceremony on Friday.
“At the invitation of the London Olympic Organizing Committee and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he will carry the Olympic Torch on the final leg of its journey in the United Kingdom,” Deputy Spokesperson Eduardo del Buey told reporters at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
According to a news release issued by the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), Mr. Ban will attend the opening ceremony in London on Friday as a way of promoting sport and physical activity to further development and peacebuilding efforts.
The UNOSDP is also organizing a series of events, meetings and activities in the lead-up to the Games to encourage and facilitate dialogue and partnerships and promote awareness and observance of the Olympic Truce.
Mr. Ban’s Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke, is also in London, where he will address sports ministers at a meeting on Wednesday, and will meet with government and sports officials throughout the games.
While in London, the UN chief will hold bilateral meetings with British Government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Foreign Secretary William Hague. He will also take part in an event with the foreign secretary with other dignitaries to highlight the Olympic Truce.
BBN/SSR/AD-25July12-11:22 am (BST)
